Sewing-machine.



A. J. BRIGGS.

SEWING MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED OCT. 17, I913. Patented 2O 2 SHEETS-SHEET l 13 .1 2 .31

v ATTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH co.,W.\sHlNGToN. D. c.

A. J. amass.

SEWING MACHINE.

. I AP PLICATION FILED OCT. 17, 19l3. 1,14%141 PatentedJuly 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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' HAS ATTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH (10., WASHINGTON, D. c.

tlNl'fED STATE PATENT @FhlQE ARTHUR J. BRIGGS, OF SYRACUSE,'NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE VANNETTE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

YORK, A

SEWING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented July so, 1915.

Application med October 17, 1913. Serial No. 795,666.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Anrnnn J. BRIGGS, citizen of the United States, and resident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing- Machines, of which the followingis a specification. a

My invention relates to improvements in lock-stitch sewing machines of the type disclosed in Letters Patent No. 875,? 51, issued January 7 1908, in which the under thread as well as the upper thread is taken direct from the ordinary commercial spool of sewing thread.

In the machine of the aforesaid patent, to which my invention has more'particular reference, the spool carrying the under thread supply is carried in a reciprocating spool case having an open end for the entry and discharge of the spool, which open end is normally closed by a movable latch to retain the spool withinthe case. To insert a spool intothis case or remove it therefrom, it has been the usual practice toxbring the spool-. case to a position beneath the slide-plate opening in the bed-plate andthe operator there effecting the required spool-inserting or removing operation by inserting his or her fingers through the said slide pl'ate opening in the bed-plate. The restricted size of the slide-plate opening, however, obviously prevents the ready and convenientzmanipu lation of parts in efi'ecting the insertion or removal of the spool into or'from its case. For such reason it has been one of the main objects of my present invention to provide a simple and effective means by which the spool inserting or removing operation may be readily and conveniently effected.

. To this end my invention, in one form thereof, consists in locating a receptacle at the under side of the bed-plate in a position opposite the. slide-plate opening therein and with an open end substantially coincident with the openend of the spoolcase, whereby a spool mayeither be droppedinto said receptacle through the slide-plate opening and from thence 'slid into the spool-case, or else be received into said receptacle from the spool-case and from thence withdrawn through the slide plate opening; in this way making easy and convenient the operation of entering the spool into the case or removing it therefrom and without liability of the spool slipping from the operators fingers into the drip-pan under the machine or other undesirable place.

' Other features of the invention not hereinbefore referred to will be hereinafter described andclaimed.

Referringnow to the accompanying drawingsin which I have shown only so much of a sewing machine as is necessary to illustrate my invention: Figure 1 is a top plan view'of the spool-ease and certain associated parts, and also of the spool-receiving receptacle; the position of the spool-case relatively to the spoolreceiving receptacle being that which it is caused to assume when a spool is'to be entered into the same or removed therefrom. Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the position of the parts with a spool partiallyejected from the spool-case into the spool-recei ing receptacle. Figs. 3' and .4 are side elevations of the parts shown in Figs. 1 and 2 respectively, but with Fig. 3 showing in addition a section of the sewing machinebed-plate taken on a line through the slide-plate opening therein. Figs. 5 and 6 are end elevations of the parts shown in Figs. 1 and 2 respectively, and Fig. 7 is an under-side planview of the parts shown in the preceding figures mounted on the bed-plate and with the addition of an operating mechanism for imparting reciprocating movement to the spool-case. Similar reference characters indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawings. The spool-case and its supporting and operating means are or may be substantially the same as those of they aforesaid patent. to which reference may be had.

The spool-case, indicated at 2, is of substantially cylindrical form to contain a correspondingly-shaped commercial spool, and at its upper side has a sliding connection with a reciprocatory frame or plate 3 which in turn has a sliding connection with the bed-plate 1, the connection of thespool-case with the frame 3 as-here shown being effected by a substantially T-shaped tongue 4: on the frame engaging the spool-case within a correspondingly-shaped groove 5, and the connection of the frame 3 with the bedplate being efiected by means of two eye brackets 66 on the frame slidably engaging with a guide bar 7 rigidly held to the under side of the bed-plate by a clamp-plate 8. These particular connections for efiecting the slidable support of the spool-case do not form part of my present invention, however, and further description as to their particular cooperation will not be necessary herein.

The spool-case is operated to receive its reciprocating movement by means of a suitable driver which loosely engages with the spool case at its opposite ends. This driver comprises heel and toe portions 9 and 10 which engage respectively with the rear and front ends of the spool-case and which are connected by an intermediate portion 11 arranged at the under side of the spool-case. The driver as thus formed is rigidly attached at its heel end to a frame 12 which is slidably mounted on a fixed horizontally-arranged pin 13 at the under side of the bed-plate and connected by a pitman 11 with a crank 15 on the driving shaft 16 by which a reciprocating movement is imparted to the frame 12 and attached spool-case driver.

At the front or spool-receiving end of the spool-case is located a spool-retaining latch 17 which is here shown as being pivotally supported whereby it may be movable from its closed spool-retaining position as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 5, to an open position to permit of the insertion or removal of a spool as shown in Figs. 2, 4: and 6. This latch 17, for the purpose of my present invention, may be supported in any suitable manner to permit of its described adjustment, the same as here shown being fixedly attached to the front end of a shaft 18 which is supported at its rear end in a suitable bearing in the driver supporting frame 12. This latch shaft 18 is shown as being provided at its rear end with an arm 19 for controlling a mechanism that is adapted to regulate the space in the spool-case according to the size of the spool being employed, but this has to do with an invention forming the subjectmatter of another application and need not be further referred to herein.

In the operation of the machine, the reciprocating spool-case, at one end of its path of movement, is brought to a position beneath the usual slide-plate opening 20 in the bed-plate. This position of the spool-case is that shown in the drawings. Immediately in advance of the spool-case when in such position is located a pan or receptacle 21 which has anopen end substantially coincident with the front end of the spool-case for the passage of a spool from it to the spoolcase or vice versa, and which is also open at its upper side in a position opposite the slideplate opening 20 to receive a spool dropped through the latter and also to permit of the spool therein being readily reached through 7 said opening for the purpose of being withdrawn therethrough. This receptacle 21 may be secured in position by any suitable means, the same as here shown being provided with flanges 22 and 23, receiving screws 24, fastening into the bed-plate of the machine as shown. a

In order to facilitate the removal of a spool from the spool-case following the opening of the latch 17, a spool-ejector 25 is provided which is slidably supported by the spoolcase driver in a position to project into the rear end of the spool-case for engagement withflthe adjacent end of the spool and which is operative under the action of a spring. 26 following the opening of the latch 17 to eject the spool from the spool-case into the pan or receptacle 21, as shown in Figs. 2 and 1, where it may be conveniently reached by the operator. The spring 26 for actuating the ejector is-here shown as connecting at one end with a pin or projection 27 on the driver frame and at its opposite end with a rearwardly projecting arm I receptacle 21 (see Figs. 4 and 6) where it cannot be conveniently reached for closing. Because of this I have provided a latchclosing device arranged "to be conveniently operated from the upper side of the receptacle 21. This closing device, as here shown, comprises a rock-bar .30 journaled in lugs, 31, 31, on the underside of the receptacle 21 and having at one en an arm 33 adapted for engagment with an arm34: of the latch 17, and at its opposite end having an arm 35 projecting upwardly through an opening in the receptacle 21 to serve as an operating handle. By moving this handle in the proper direction the rock-bar 30 may be operated to cause its arm 33 to engage with the latch and move it to closed position;

After being so operated the latch-closing device is returned to its normal position, which 15 that shown in Figs. 1 and 6, under the action of an enga ing spring 36.

What I claim is:' j i 1. In asewing machine, the combination with a reciprocating spool-case having an.

ing for the entry and discharge of a spool, of an open spool-receiving receptacle at the under side of the bed-plate opposite said opening therein and in position beyond the path of movement of the spool-case and having an open end substantially coincident with the opening of the spool-case.

3. In a sewing machine, the combination with a reciprocating spool-case having an opening for the entry and. discharge of a spool, of an open spool-receiving receptacle located beyond the path of movement of said spool-case and in position to receive a spool discharged from the spool-case.

I. In a sewing machine, the combination with a reciprocating spool-case having an open end, and a spool-retaining latch at said open end of the spoolcase, of aspoolreceiving receptacle located at a predetermined point relative to the path of movement of the spool-case and having an open end substantially coincident with the open end of the spool-case, and an operating device for the'spool-retaining latch supported in fixed relation with said receptacle.

5. In a sewing machine, the combination with a reciprocating spool-case having an open end, and a spool-retaining latch at said open end of the spool-case, of a spool-receiving receptacle located at a predetermined point relative to the path of movement of the spool-case and having an open end substantially coincident with the open end of the spool-case, and an operating device for the spool-retaining latch supported in fixed relation with said receptacle and having an operating handle extending into the latter for convenient engagement by the operator.

6. In a sewing machine, the combination with the bed-plate having an opening therein, a reciprocating spool-case at the under side of the bed-plate having an open end, and a spool-retaining latch at said open end of the spool-case, of an open spool-receiving receptacle at the under side of the bed-plate opposite the said opening therein and having one end substantially coincident with the open end of the spool-case, and a closing device for the spool-retaining latch supported in fixed relation with said receptacle and having an operating handle extending into the latter for convenient engagement by the operator through the said opening in the bedplate.

7. In a sewing machine, the combination with a reciprocating spool-case having an open end, a spool-retaining latch at said open end of the spool-case, and a spool ejector operative to eject the spool from the case upon the release of the spool by its retain ing latch, of an open spool-receiving receptacle located at a predetermined point relative to the path of movement of thespoolcase and in position to receive a spool ejected from the spool-case.

Signed at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, this 14th day of October, A. 13.1913.

ARTHUR J. BRIGGS.

Witnesses:

E. S. BOYNTON, G120. G. PIERCE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

